Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Thursday - June 17, 2010
From: Radcliff, KY
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of plant from wildflower mix in Radcliff KY
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I bought a wildflower mixture from local store; after planting, there is a 2 ft bush or plant with flowers that are yellow, and small like those on a cantaloupe, leaves that look like a watermelon, but the plant has spines along the underside of the leaf and on flower buds and flower backs. I threw the packet away so I was wondering what kind of plant I am growing? Thanks!ANSWER:
We never recommend purchasing mixes of seeds for this very reason; you have no idea what is going to come up. Something in that mix could be non-native or invasive, or both, and you would have introduced that plant to your area. Unfortunately, since you do not know if the plant is native, we can't hope to identify it without some more information. Please go to our Mr. Smarty Plants Plant Identification page for instructions on sending us pictures with descriptions. We can't guarantee that we will be able to identify it even then, but we will try.
More Plant Identification Questions
Ripe fruit of Melothria pendula (Guadaloupe cucumber)
July 22, 2014 - I see the pictures of the guadualupe cucumber plant. The fruit is still green. When it matures does it look like a small tomato? I have noticed the vine when the fruit is ripe. This is in McLennan C...
view the full question and answer
Identification of Cryptomeria japonica for homeowners association
May 09, 2007 - Good morning. We are wondering if Cryptomeria japonica trees can fit under the term "pine like". We used the term pine like when asking for our home owners associations approval and we put in a Cr...
view the full question and answer
Plant Identification
July 06, 2008 - I am trying to identify a small tree or large plant here in Indiana. I have seen it from 6 ft to as tall as 15 to 20. It is a green leaf with pink cone shaped growth at the ends of a branch. The co...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
July 22, 2010 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants, (love the name), I have found a plant in my yard. Underground it looks like a green onion, above ground it has a broad leaf, a thin 8-12 inch stalk and the top 2" of the stalk...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
August 11, 2008 - Just after the last little rain we got, I noticed a small, inconspicuous plant in my front yard that was sprouting a structure that looks for all the world like a pitcher plant. It is not, however, an...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |